Portable steam condensing apparatus



Gm. 2?, 1931. F, X LOEFFLER 1,829,528

PORTABLE STEAM CONDENSING APPARATUS Filed July 3, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR M By y r A TTORNE Y Oat; 27, 1931 F. x. LOEFFLER PORTABLE STEAM CONDENSING APPARATUS Filed July 3, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN Patented Oct. 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK X. LOELFFLER, OF OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA PORTABLE STEAM CONDENSING APPARATUS Application filed July 3,

from one location to another at a comparatively small cost; which will provide an automatic means for supplying to the. boiler feed line a-minimum amount of water in addition to the water produced by condensation of steam; which will condense steam with a minimum amount of evaporation; which will be. strong and durable; which will be less eX- pensive to manufacture and install than the usual cooling towers which are now generally 3 used; and which will be elficient in accomplishing all the purposes for which it is intended.

In a great many localities the supply of boiler water has become quite an item, and consequently it is imperative that the. available water supply be conserved as much as is possible. This is particularly true in respect to oil field boilers. Cooling towers are in general use in a great many of the oil fields for condensing and cooling the water from the exhaust steam, but these towers are usually expensive and require considerable ground space which is often not available. The usual tower also is not subject to removal without completely tearing it to pieces. Due to the fact that drilling of an oil well requires only a limited amount of time, and due to the fact that the usual cooling tower is not subject to removal to another site, the cost of thesetowers in a great many instances has proven prohibitive. The usual cooling tower exposes the water to considerable evaporation.

In the apparatus herein described and claimed, applicant provides a means for condensing the exhaust steam without exposing the steam or water to the evaporative effect of the air. He provides an apparatus which is comparatively easy to move from one location to another. He also provides an automatic means for supplying to the boiler feed 1930. Serial No. 465,542.

line a minimum amount of water over the amount of water which is produced by the condensation of the steam.

With these and other objects in View as will more fully appear, my invention consists in 55 the construction, novel features, and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the claims hereto appended, and illustrated in the accompanying two-sheet drawings, of which: 90

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the complete apparatus showing in dotted lines a float mechanism within the reservoir;

Fig. 2 is a detailed sectional view of the steam outlet in the top of the reservoir; and,

Fig. 3 is an elevational view partially in section of one of the cooling units.

Like characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures.

It is understood that various changes in 79 the form, proportion, size, shape, weight and other details of construction, within the scope of my invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or broad principle V of my invention and without sacrificing any of the advantages thereof; and it is also understood that the drawings are to be interpreted as being illustrative and not restrictive.

One practical embodiment of the invention 3M bers 3 which may be set in concrete or otherwise rigidly positioned. Said supporting members 3 are rigidly fastened together by channel iron members 4. slightly above their mid-portion and channel iron members at are fastened together by a plurality of spaced transverse strap members 5. A plurality of cooling units 6 are disposed upon said strap members 5 and are held rigidly thereon by a pair of channel irons 8 at the upper ends of said supporting members 3.

Each of said units 6 comprises a frame consisting of an upper plate 7, a lower plate 8, and sheet metal ends 9. Said upper plate 7 forms the top for a steam box or compartment 11 which is made integral with said pipe 26 and all of said inlet pipes 26 are connected together by a pip1e27. The steam a from the exhaust of the pumps or-engines, not

plate 7 and which has both ends closed. A similar box or compartment 12 is provided upon said bottom plate 8 and likewise has its ends closed. Extending between said compartments 11 and 12 and communicating therewith is provided a plurality of hollow tubes 13, each of which is exterlorly provided with'a plurality of fins 14 for increasing-the exterior surface which maybe contacted by the air. Each of said tops 7 are provided with an opening '15 and thereabove with aflanged exteriorly threaded connection or boss 16. Likewise each of said bottom plates 8 are provided with anopening 17 and with a flanged boss 18.

The reservoir 2 comprises a tank having a closed top 19 which is centrally provided with an outlet 20 the details of which may best be seen in Fig. 2'and which will be more fully described later herein. Said'reserVoir is also provided with an inlet opening 21 and with an outlet opening 22. Said outlet opening is located somewhat near said inlet opening 21 and. is-connected in the usual manner to the pipe 23 leading to the usual boiler feed pumps, not shown. 1 v r H Each of the connections 18 in the bottom lflate' 8 of the ccolingunits 6 is d y land 36 respectively"- to the boiler feed pumps and the source of water supply, and line-28.

connected to adownstanding outlet pipe 24 and all ofsaidoutlet pipes 24 are connected to a pipe 25jwhich communicates with the mid-portionlof said reservoir 2. The top of each of said units 6 isconnected to an inlet shown, is first carried through an. oil separator, not shown,.@ for separating any oil which {my be carried .there by the steam, and

is thence carried through a pipe 28to a horizontal pipe 29 whichleads beneathsaid tower which there communicates with said reservoir .2. An upright -pipe30 connects saidpipe 27 and said pipe 29 at a point adjacent the inlet end of said tower 1, and acts as a means for conveying the steam to the upper compartment 11 of the cooling unit 6. Said pipe .29 slopes slightly downwardly toward said reservoir 2 from. the point where it connects said pipe 30 andat a point adjacent its connection with'pipe 30 is provided with a usual manually operatedgate valve 31. The inlet opening 21 in'said reservoir 2 is connected -'to a horizontal pipe 32 which-is provided if -with agate 'valve33and at its outer end is connected to 'a'vertical pipe 34.- Said pipe 34 upon its lowe'rend is connected through a T' 351toawater supply line 36. Said supply line 36"extends fromfsaid T beneath said cooling tower'l' and communicates through arr upright pipe -37-andthrough an injector I 51 with saidpip'e 29. .Saidinjector 51 is located adjacent the point where said pipe 29 connects said pipe 30. Said lin'e36. is provided witha cut-ofi-valve 38, ands'aid pipe for the purpose ofdraining the reservoir when desired and the reservoir is also provided with a'manhole opening 42 which ofiersa means for .permitling the reservoir; to be cleaned when desired. fAt a point slightly above saidinlet opening 21 in said reservoir 2. and extending from the outside to the in: terior of said reservoir 2 is j o'urnaled a crank 43 which bears upon its inner end'a float 44. The outer end of said crank 43 is pivotally connected to an upstanding arm 45, the vertical movement of which acts as a means for opening or closing said valve 33 in said line'32. T

As may best be seen in Fig. 2 the steam out-' let in thetop 19 of said reservoir2 consists of a threaded nipple 46 and a conical bafiie 47 is connected'by strap'iron brackets'49 rto V a nut 50 which is threaded upon the interior end of said nipple 46.: I

A- description of the operation of the de vice above described follows:

7 After the apparatus has been installed and the properconnectionsmade upon lines 23 has been properly connected to the oil separator, valve38 willbe'clo'sed and-valve 39 opened. This will cause the" waterto flow into said reservoir 2 until it raises said float 44 and actuates said crank '43to close said valve 33. The boiler feed-pumps will then 'be started and water will flow -through said outlet opening 22 and said-pipe 23 andithe boilers will be filled and fired. As the steam is produced by; the boilers for use through pumps or other apparatus, the exhaust steam will pass into said line 28 through said line 29, pipe 30, and pipe 27 and will enter the cooling units 6 through said inlets 26. As the steam thus enters said upper compartment 11in said units'6 and will consequently enter 7 the tubes 13',and the action of the air uponthe exterior of the-tubes and upon the fins 14 will condense the steam to water which will flow ion llO

outwardly from the lower compartment 12 the "space between theupper end: of the bafile and the lower surface of the top 19-"of reser-.

voir 2-before itmay escape through said'nipple 46."- Any water whichis formedbyithe condensation of the steam'passing over the upper edge of said'baflie 47 and'thenceout-of said nipple 46 will escape gravity through the perforation 48 in the lower'point oft-he bafile 47. 'As long as thelev'el'ofthe water in said reservoir 2 holds the fioat at the upper end of its throw, the valve 33 will be held closed but as soon as the boiler uses more water than is being condensed by the cooling tower and the float is permitted to lower itself from the upper end of its throw, said valve 33 will be opened and water will enter the reservoir 2 from the supply line 36. This arrangement insures an ample supply of water at all times for the boiler, but at the same time causes only a minimum amount of water to be fed from the supply line 36 into the reservoir 2. The steam which enters pipe 29 from said pipe 28 will naturally have some condensation and said valve 31 will be slightly opened in order to permit the water thus accumulated in pipe 29 to flow by gravity from pipe 29 to within reservoir 2. As soon as the water which is condensed by the cooling tower 1 commences to flow into said reservoir 2, said valve 38 upon line 36 will be slightly opened and a small amount of water will be permitted to enter said pipe 37. The water thus entering said pipe 29 will of course be cool and ill consequently assist by mixing with the steam in causing more condensation within said pipe 29. This water will be permitted to flow back to the reservoir through said valve 31 as previously described.

Obviously, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in forms other than that which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described herein, and applicable for uses and purposes other than as detailed, and I therefore consider as my own all such modifications and adaptations and other uses of the form of the device herein described as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention. what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. Apparatus for the purposes described, embodying a cooling tower comprised of removable cooling units for interiorly receiving steam, removable means for rigidlly supporting said units, a closed reservoir having a steam outlet in its top, said reservoir connected by pipes to all of said units, and means for automatically controlling the amount of supply water entering said reservoir in accordance with the amount of water condensed by said units and the amount of water used out of said reservoir.

2. Apparatus for the purposes described, embodying a cooling tower comprised of re movable cooling units for interiorly receiving steam, removable means for rigidly supporting said units, a closed reservoir havlng a steam outlet inits top, said reservoir connected by pipes to all of said units, means within said reservoir for obstructing the escape of steam through said outlet, and means for automatically controlling the amount of supply water entering said reservoir in accordance with the amount of water condensed by said units and the amount of water used out of said reservoir.

3. Organization as described in claim 1, in which each of said cooling units comprises a plurality of exteriorly exposed tubes connected between an inlet compartment and an outlet compartment, said tubes having exterior fins thereon.

4. Organization as described in claim 1, and means for supplying cool water to the steam before it enters said units, and means for returning said water together with condensed water to said reservoir without its entering said units.

5. Organization as described in claim 2, in which said obstructing means comprises an inverted hollow cone having a perforation in its point, said cone disposed with its base slightly below and around said outlet.

FRANK X. LOEFFLER. 

